Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

Life is tough. There are many undesirable situations in the world right now. The Greek economy, world hunger, Justin Bieber ... Idealog doesn't claim to have all the answers but its latest issue can help with some of the lesser details, like how to read your rival's financial statements, shut down a dinner party bore, give a winning speech, get on the front page, self-publish and more.

The best bit? It has to be the photo of ad man Mike Hutcheson doing 'rock fingers' and wearing some kick-arse aviators. That's because he's got ten top tips on how to lunch like an '80s rock star.

So, year, nar, year, nar, what else? Writer Simon Pound goes inside the freezer at the icy cold home of new ice block brand Nice Blocks. Fonterra and Tip Top got a bit of a media serve a while back because their new brand The Ice Bar Co. bore some striking similarities to Nice Blocks' boutique look and feel. Months and months on, business is booming and these blokes are hanging off the back end of a tiger.

Other editorial goodies include Dion Nash's new man brand; a gaming bootcamp; Wetox, which is turning sludge into cash; agony aunt Lance Wiggs; the emerging talent of Go Vocab; MP Nikki Kaye gets a grilling; and more design talent than you can shake a stick at.

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Why we like it: In a slightly dystopic and animalistic car spot, Mitsubishi has promoted its new Triton Huntaway II. The video sees the utetravelling over rugged Wellington terrain and highlights the vehicles multiple features. The campaign is based on exclusivity as Mitsubishi’s new ute has just 20 up for grabs. To provide further hype to its audience, the ad finishes with the line, “if you don’t catch it now, you won’t see it for dust”.

Who’s it for:2degrees by DDB

Why we like it:2degrees continue to expose the unusual nature of everyday gestures in its latest spot that lingers over three couples shaking hands. In a world of sloppy, or overly stiff hand-shakes, it is good to see the act of peace and trade be scrutinised. Described as ‘pumping someone up and down as if they are low on air’ the spot films handshakes in slow motion and scrutinises the instinctive way in which we communicate. The spot is a part of 2degrees ‘Second Nature’ campaign, which releases multiple ads and gives focus to the contribution of 2degrees in helping Kiwi businesses up and down the country.

Who’s it for: TVNZ by TVNZ’s Blacksand

Why we like it: Last week, Deadpool hijacked TVNZ’s brand assets, gate crashed multiple TVNZ channel idents and appeared in a Broadcasting Standards spot for TVNZ. The character, played by famous American actor Ryan Reynolds, saw a one-off opportunity for TVNZ, who utilised the sarcastic superhero across multiple platforms and programmes. The ads coincided with the release of Deadpool 2, which is currently on screen in cinemas.